Lake Beshear
Christian County, Kentucky794 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Beshear. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Lake Beshear in Christian County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 794 acres.
Lake Beshear is a 794-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Christian County, Kentucky. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Christian County, Lake Beshear ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2021-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Beshear is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Beshear
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Lake Beshear, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Beshear
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
794 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Beshear, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Beshear
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Fishing Lake Beshear
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2016–2021). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.38 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Beshear is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Beshear Lake Dam (completed 1962), built primarily for water supply on the Piny Creek; earth-type dam, 38 ft tall and 550 ft long.
- Surface area
- 794 ac
- Normal storage
- 7,809 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 17,837 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 28 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00044 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Christian County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Beshear
Where is Lake Beshear?
- Lake Beshear is a lake in Christian County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Beshear?
- Lake Beshear in Christian County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 794 acres.
Is Lake Beshear safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Lake Beshear?
- Public access to Lake Beshear is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Beshear across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Kentucky
Eutrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
51 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2016–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX51 samples · 2016–2021
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.